From Wikitravel Shared

Plateau is a district in Montreal.

[edit] Get in

The Plateau is centrally located just adjacent to the downtown core, so there are numerous ways to access the Plateau. Ave du Parc, Boul. St. Laurent, Rue St. Denis, and Rue Papineau run north/south through the Plateau, and are paralleled by dozens of side streets in between. East/west, Rue Sherbrooke, Ave des Pins, Ave Rachel, Ave Mont Royal, and Boul. St. Joseph bisect the Plateau, with Mont Royal carrying a significant number of shops, bars, and restaurants. Each of these streets are accessible by car (though St. Laurent is one way, going north), and heavily serviced by numerous taxi companies.

Each of the streets listed above along with a few others are serviced by bus routes run by the STM. In addition, the Orange line of the Montreal Metro run underneath Rue Berri, adjacent to St. Denis. Sherbrooke station, Mont Royal station, and Laurier station are located within the boundaries of the Plateau.

Bike routes are few, but useful. Separate bike lanes exist on Ave. Rachel from Parc Mont Royal to Boul. Parc LaFontaine and Rue Brebeuf from Parc LaFontaine to Parc Laurier and there are painted bike lanes along St. Urbain, Milton, Prince Arthur, and St. Joseph.These lanes are generally not respected by Montreal drivers, so watch out. In addition, several of these lanes are not plowed during the winter, making them all but impassible following heavy snow.

Rue Prince Arthur from St. Laurent to Laval is a pedestrian mall, and bikes are NOT permitted.

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The most dominant architectural feature of the Plateau is the endless rows of Montreal duplexes and triplexes that house the majority of the Plateau's population. These buildings date from the early 20th Century and, with their distinctive exterior staircases and wrought-iron ornamentation, have come to define the visual landscape of the Plateau.

In addition, there are a few buildings of note scattered around the Plateau. The Warshaw building (St. Laurent and Bagg) dates from the 1920s and was the Plateau's first skyscraper. Though only 7 stories tall, it is a distinctive feature of the neighbourhood. Further north are two other large bulidings: 4020 St. Laurent and 4100 St. Laurent. At 8 and 10 stories respectively, they are the largest buildings in the Plateau. 4020 St. Laurent is recognizable by its impressive refinished neo-Art Decco exterior. 4100 St. Laurent is less impressive, but houses a number of commercial and light industrial enterprises ranging from an alternative sex shop to a startup film company.

On the southern end of the Plateau (in an area that, depending on your definition, might actually be outside the Plateau and located instead in the McGill Ghetto area) is the Galleries du Parc, a large 1960s-era urban redevelopment project. The Galleries are comprised of four large buildings, three of them devoted to apartments and the fourth devoted to office space. The office building carries the logo of 'Air Transat', a local Quebec freight airline, however many other businesses are located there. In addition, a former hotel, now a residence of McGill University, and an underground shopping complex are part of the Galleries project. The underground mall, though small, contains a variety of shops and services including a liquor store, a grocery story, a pharmacy, Dollarama, several restaurants and a movie theatre.

The Plateau is bordered on two sides by large parks. To the west is Parc Mont Royal, originally designed by Frank Olmstead in the 1880s and a dominant feature of the Montreal landscape. The park is widely used for recreation, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing in the winter, as well as the weekly Tam Tams celebration during the summer months. Parc Mont Royal is safe and accessible by the adjacent Parc Jeanne Mance and by Ave. du Parc. To the east is Parc LaFontaine, a well-manicured space including an artificial lake, bike paths, sporting facilities, and an outdoor ampitheatre. Both parks are heavily used during the summer months.

A smaller park, Carre St. Louis, can be found at the end of the Prince Arthur pedestrian mall, next to Rue St. Denis. Though a fraction of the size of either Parc LaFontaine or Parc Mont Royal, it is a popular and scenic local destination. Two fountains, bike paths, and easy access to a number of restaurants and shops provide a comforting background and a relaxing setting. On a side note, many of the the gags on the television show 'Just For Laughs' are performed in this park.

There are also a number of examples of impressive urban tableaux and graffiti art found throughout the Plateau. The sidestreets to the east of St. Laurent are well known for this, particularly Ave. Duluth.

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[edit] Buy

The Plateau is renowed, perhaps defined, by its abundance of commercial venues. Though shops, depanneurs, and bars are dotted throughout the neighbourhood, there are a few principle commercial avenues. Boul. St. Laurent is the largest and most famous of these, with a cornucopia of restaurants, shops, bars, and other services. Below Ave. des Pins, St. Laurent tends to be more upscale, particularly at the junction of Ave. Prince Arthur. Further north on St. Laurent there are numerous Portuguese restaurants and a variety of clothing stores, harkening back to the street's history as the centre of Montreal's garment district.

In addition, Ave. Mont Royal, Ave. Rachel, Rue St. Denis, and Ave. du Parc above Mont Royal are equally well endowed with commercial outlets. Along the Ave. Rachel bike paths, there are a number of bike-related businesses. St. Denis is well-known for its gourmet restaurants, bookstores, and upscale stores. Ave. du Parc runs through Greek and Jewish neighbourhoods as it runs north into the neighbourhood of Mile End; the highly regarded bagels of St. Viateur and Fairmont are located along this stretch of the street.

As for price, the Plateau has experienced a long stretch of gentrification, which has pushed prices upward in many locations. However, there are still bargains to be found in main places, particularly for vinyl records, books, and second hand clothing.

[edit] Eat

[edit] Drink

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Contact

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